The Last Windbender
by AnimeLord127
Summary: A young air-bender named Caelum has joined Team Avatar. But will he get used to his new friends? Or will he fall back into loneliness? (Formerly The First Windbender) ON HIATUS (MIGHT GET A REBOOT IN THE FUTURE)
1. Chapter 1 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1: Equality**

Chapter 1: Intro to Korra

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

" ** _Spirit thinking"_**

(Location: Korra)

It was a dark night as a ship travelled from the South Pole to Republic City. No one suspected that a stowaway might be onboard. Yet there she was, a 17-year old Avatar named Korra and her pet polar bear-dog named Naga. Why was Korra even there, you ask? To to be taught airbending under Tenzin, son of the late Avatar Aang, council member of Republic City, and one of the last known airbender. You see, Korra has learned all the basic elemental bending arts (fire, water, earth) except for air. So to learn airbending, she ran away from home with permission of her waterbending teacher and the wife of Aang, Katara.

Korra was currently sleeping when suddenly, the ship stopped. "Naga, we're here!" exclaimed Korra As the doors to the cargo bay opened, Korra jumped on top of Naga and rode off. "Thank you for the ride!" Korra yelled to the dock workers, who looked on confusingly. "Alright, Naga, let's go find Tenzin," Korra said. Naga, however, whined. "Okay, okay, food first," Korra said. She walked around until she found a kabob stand. "Mmm, these look good. Hey lady, two please!" said Korra to the food stall lady. "Got any money?" the lady replied. "Uuuh...nooo?" replied the Avatar in training. "Then get out!" yelled the lady. Korra slumped off, still feeling hungry. Eventually, she and Naga found a park that had fish. After catching a few and leaving Naga to hunt a few as well, she used her fire-bending training to instantly cook the fish. But before she could take a bite, a scruffy-looking man came out from a from a bush. "Hello, stranger! Welcome to Republic City. Say,can I have one of those fish you've got there?" he asked. "Uh, sure." replied Korra. The hobo immediately took the fish and started to eat at a rapid pace. "So, do you livein that bush/" asked Korra. "Yep! It's hard to find a bush like that though. There are so many vagabonds these days." replied the Hobo. 'I thought the city was a pllae of success?" questioned the naive girl. "Ha! You have a lot to learn, little missy." replied the hobo. The a whistle sounded. "Hey! You can't fish here!" yelled a police officer. "Well, time for me to go. Good luck!" exclaimed the hobo. Korra gulped. "Let's run for it, Naga!"

Minutes later, Korra was still a little pissed off about the park incident. "No fair! How come I can't fish here?" grumbled Korra. Suddenly, she heard loud noises and spotted what looked like an bending protester. "Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?" yelled the protester. "Then join the Equalists! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non benders to live as lower class citizens. Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Korra said. "Bending is the coolest thing ever!"

"Oh really?" yelled the man. "Let me guess. You're a bender."

"Yeah, I am," replied Korra. "I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some waterbending, huh?" said the man. "I'm seriously thinking about it." said an annoyed Korra. "See? This is what's wrong with this city! Benders like this girl only use their power to oppress us!" screamed the protester. " I'm not oppressing anyone! You're... you're oppressing yourselves." said Korra as she weakly defended herself. "That didn't even make sense!" yelled the man back.

Korra, knowing she lost, rode off with Naga with the crowd jeering at her. Eventually, she finds herself at a random street. Feeling lost, she decided to ask an old woman where Air Temple Island was when suddenly, three thugs drove up to a phonograph shop in a bright red satomobile. One was a waterbender, another a firebender, and last one was an earthbender. The thugs immediately began to harass the owner and began to demand money, so Korra walked over to them and began to fight. She had just smashed the waterbender into the satomobile after freezing him and launched the earthbender up in the air with an earth column when he suddenly rocketed downward at an incredible speed. The remaining thug and Korra looked on confused. Then a boy dropped form the sky. A boy approximately 12-years old, holding a black staff, and wearing a skull mask. "Hello," said the boy. "I am Caelum. Need help?"

* * *

 **Chapter 1 end**

Caelum's description: Has Hollow Ichigo's eyes, pale skin, and final mask form without horns from **Bleach**. He looks like Kirito from **Sword Art Online** without the swords but with a thick scar from the left eye to the right cheek.

Staff's description: Exactly like Aang's first staff but black with the smaller wings being edged with spikes. It also has a compartment for a spearhead.

Other Weapons: Clawed gloves to deliver sharpened air faster (unmentioned for now).


	2. Chapter 2 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1: Wind**

Chapter 2: Caelum

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

" _ **Spirit thinking"**_

 _The present:_

"Wha-how-?" sputtered Korra. "Act first, talk later." said the newly-introduced Caelum. He then launched an enormous gust of wind at the firebender. " _He's an air-bender?"_ thought Korra. "I thought most of the airbenders were gone! How are you alive?" exclaimed Korra. "It's a long story." replied Caelum. He then launched another gust of wind at the waterbender as he was just getting up. Korra snapped out of her daze and began to fight as well. She bashed the firebender with a rock using earthbending. Caelum, meanwhile, was busy whacking the earthbender with his staff. They then smashed all three thugs through a shop window, knocking them out. "Woo hoo! We did it!" exclaimed Korra. She then turned and faced the kid. "You're pretty good, kiddo." complimented Korra. "Hn." said Caelum. Just then, a siren rang as the metalbending police force arrived at the scene.

"Hello, metalbending cops! We caught the bad guys for you, officers." said Korra. "Arrest the crooks! As well as those two troublemakers!" yelled a cop. " What? But we caught the bad guys!" yelled Korra. "Oh yeah? Then what's with the broken street and the shattered windows?!" yelled the cop back. "Take them away!"

Before the cop even took a single step however, he was blasted back by a column of air. "Lets go!" exclaimed Caelum. The two plus Naga ran away, the polar bear-dog travelling at speed far faster than the cops could metalbend their cables. few minutes later, a grey-haired woman with a formidable appearence arrivedat the ruined streets. "What's going on here?" she asked. "Chief Beifong! We have a small situation here. The shop owners claimed they saw a Southern Water Tribe teenage girl who firebent, earthbent, and waterbent as well as a masked 12 year-old child in a black trench coat who airbent. Said child also attacked an officer and fled with the Avatar towards the east." reported the officer while saluting. The chief became annoyed. "Contact Councilman Tenzin immediately!" she yelled. _"Tenzin is going to have a field day."_ she groaned in her mind.

 _With Caelum and Korra:_

"Hey, where are we going?" yelled Korra. "My home." replied Caelum. "Stop! I have to go to Air Temple Island!" she shouted. "Let's stop at my home first, then go." replied the airbender with an annoyed tone. They soon reached Caelum's home, which was a large sewage pipe. Surprisingly, it was clean and lacked the smell of sewage. "You...live in a pipe?" asked Korra. "Yes." replied the boy. "Why?"

Caelum sighed. "Let me tell you about my past and the history of my family. My ancestors were a group of airbenders who separated from the air nomads who called themselves the wind monks. They were worshipers of an ancient spirit of light. They hid themselves from the world, continuing with their worship. Then came the Hundred-Year War. Most of my ancestors were found and wiped out by the Fire Nation. A few escaped, fortunately. Eventually, my mother was all that was left of them. She met my father, a firebender, here in this very city. She begged him not to introduce her to the air-nomads because her people already chose their fates and had rejected the nomads. So they lived in secret as a market owner, eventually having a child: me. I was different from my mother, admiring the nomads of the past. I always wanted to meet the children of Avatar Aang. Then, tragedy happened. My parents were killed by Triad members. I fled, taking food, money, and scrolls that my mother never allowed me to touch. Out of the city, I grieved for a few days, then decided that since evil took my family, I'll fight evil. So I started my journey. Once I found out I could airbend, I looked at the scrolls. They gave me the answers to why my ancestors split form the air nomads. They made a new style of airbending called windbending. It had the defensive style of regular airbending, but also more a vicious offensive style. It uses air to cut and shred, as well as rotation. Armed with this knowledge, I trained for two years, to the point where I could split steel blocks the size of large boulders. Then I decided to earn some money, since I either stole food or hunted to survive back in those days. I took up bounty hunting, very dangerous, but with a high pay. I learned to chi-block, and took my first kill when I was 8. Before that, I spared my victims. From then on out, I either chi-blocked my opponents or killed them when I had no choice. This continued for 4 more years, occasionally returning to the city to check on it, until I heard about the new Avatar. I deduced that the new Avatar would head to Republic City, so I traveled until I reached this city a week earlier. I have been living in this pipe ever since."

Korra was silent for a few seconds, then trembled. "Y-you killed people?" she whispered. "Only for survival. It's not like I enjoy it, I just learned to live with it." replied the windbender. Awkward silence prevailed once more, before Korra looked at Caelum. "I'm sorry that you had to experience such hardships." she whispered. Caelum nodded. "Now then, let's have lunch before we go to the island." said Caelum. Korra nodded, slightly cheering up.

 _With Chief Beifong and Tenzin:_

"Are you sure that the boy Korra was with was an airbender, Lin?" asked a tall, bald man as he faced the Chief. When he heard about Korra and the new airbender, he rushed towards the place. "Positive, Tenzin." Chief Lin Beifong replied. "In that case, we have to find them both. Korra has never been in the city before and the airbender is one of our race's last hope of existence." Lin started to respond, but then an officer interrupted their conversion. "Ma'am! We have another situation! The equalists are rioting at the Eastern section of the city and have set a ten-story building on fire!" he yelled in panic. "What?!"

 _Caelum and Korra:_

As soon as Caelum, Korra, and Naga finished their eating their lunch, Caelum started to pack his stuff, including money, some food, and his scrolls. They then headed towards Air Temple Island. Unfortunately, they arrived at the burning building where the equalists rioted. "Oh no!" gasped Korra. "The civilians! we need to save the ones in the building!" exclaimed Caelum. After ordering Naga to stay, the two ran towards the building. Korra quickly made a fire hydrant and started to assist the firefighters. Caelum scanned the building, then located a child screaming on the 9th floor. "I'm going up." said Caelum as he dashed towards the building. "Caelum? Wait!" cried out Korra. Caelum ignored her as he entered the floor. He unfurled the bottom wings and started to climb up the floors, cutting and batting away any fiery debris that fell towards him. Eventually, he reached the 9th floor and saw the terrified little girl. She screamed as she saw the terrifying mask. "Wait! I'm not going to hurt you okay? Trust me." said Caelum. The girl backed away, however. "Look, your parents are probably worried. You want to see them, right?" he asked gently. The girl sniffled, then nodded. "I'm going to help you get down and meet them, okay? I promise." the airbender said as he held out his hand. The girl nodded, then took his hand. "Hang on tight." said Caelum. Then he ran towards a window and jumped through it. Before they could fall, however, Caelum unfurled all of his staff's wings and started to surf on the air with it. He soon reached the ground in front of Korra and gently let go of the girl. A hysteric woman and man immediately ran forward and hugged the now-bawling girl, before thanking Caelum and hurrying away. He smiled underneath his mask as they walked away, which died down as soon as he faced an angry Korra. "What was that stunt you did back there? You could have been killed!" she yelled. "Sorry about that." replied Caelum. Korra sighed. "It's okay, but don't do that again, alright?" she asked. Caelum nodded, before noticing a tall, bald, and bearded man hurrying towards them. He was accompanied by a harsh looking woman, as well as a few cops. "Korra! Thank goodness we found you." the man sighed. "Then he looked at Caelum. "I am Tenzin, son of Aang. I assume that you're the airbender that Lin mentioned?" he asked. "If you mean the scary looking woman in the police uniform behind you, then yes, I imagine so, Master Tenzin." he said smoothly. Lin's face became annoyed, which started to make the cops a little nervous. An angry Chief meant bad business. Tenzin coughed. "Well, er, yes. That being said, I invite you to Air Temple Island to live and train. And, you don't have to call me Master." The younger airbender seemed to frown. "And Korra?" he asked. "She is to go back to the South Pole. It's too dangerous here right now." said Tenzin. "That does not make sense. Regardless of the dangers of this city, she is still inexperienced. The faster she trains, the less danger she'll be in. Therefore, let us make a proposition. If I go to live in Air Temple Island, Korra also gets to go." he replied. Tenzin sighed. "Very well then." he conceded. "Yes! Thanks, Caelum!" whooped Korra as she hugged Caelum tightly. "Korra, I need to breath." gasped Caelum. "Sorry."

 _Tenzin, Korra, and Caelum:_

The benders and their animal guides headed towards the island, Korra on Naga and Tenzin and Caelum on Oogi the flying bison. It was here that Caelum's 12 year-old self started to show, as he pestered Tenzin about the flying bison, to which Tenzin happily answered. Eventually, they landed on the island, where Tenzin's pregnant wife, Pema, stood waiting with her three airbender children Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Tenzin got off first. "Hello dear!" greeted Pema happily. "Dad! You're back!" yelled his three children as they hugged him. "Hello dears. I have some important guests I would like you all to greet." he said smiling. Korra got off Naga as he spoke. "Hi Pema. Hi guys!" she greeted enthusiastically. "Korra! Are you going to live here now?" asked Ikki. "Yep! It feels awesome!" answered Korra. Then at last, Caelum jumped off. "Woah! Who are you?" asked Meelo. "This is Caelum. He is an airbender I found in the city." introduced Tenzin. Jinora blushed when she saw him. _"He looks kinda cool . His eyes look beautiful as well."_ she thought. "Hello ma'am." he greeted Pema. "Hello, Caelum. I hope that you'll enjoy this island during your stay." she said. Caelum nodded, then turned towards the children. "Hi! I'm Meelo!" yelled a small boy. "And I'm Ikki! Are you really strong? Can you sneeze like Meelo? What's under the mask? Can I see under it?" rapid fired a slightly older girl. "Yes, not sure, my face, and no." answered Caelum. When he got to Jinora however, his heart seemed to pound 50 miles per hour. _"Gah! She looks so cute!"_ he screamed in his mind. "H-hi there! Um...my name is Caelum. Nice to meet you!" he blurted. _"What's wrong with me? Why did I say such a stupid introduction?"_ he screamed at himself. "O-oh, uh, hi. My name is Jinora. Er...it's nice to meet you too." she said awkwardly. After a few short seconds of awkwardness and embarrassment, Meelo got impatient. "Okay, Caelum! Since I am your superior, I order you to show what you got!" he yelled, distracting everyone. "Meelo! Be polite to our guest." admonished Pema. "It's alright, ma'am. I was planning on showing off a little anyway. I want to spar with Korra, so please show us where the training field is, Master Tenzin." requested Caelum. Tenzin nodded."Very well, follow me."

 _At the training field:_

The two benders faced each other from opposite ends of the field. "Alright, the rule is whoever draws fist blood wins. Breaking bones is not allowed and getting scratched hard enough to bleed does not count unless it's directly caused by an attack." announced Caelum. Tenzin frowned when he heard him, but said nothing. Korra shifted into a firebending stance while Caelum shifted into a windbending stance, which was on all fours with the arms crossed over each over. "3...2..1...go!"

Before Korra could even move, Caelum rushed forward and kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying back. Before she could recover, Caelum shot 2 air punches and an air kick, catapulting Korra even further. Korra crashed onto her back, then immediately got up to launch two fireballs at the windbender, who dodged them and launched a thin streak of wind at Korra with a clawing gesture. She automatically raised an earth column, leaving a small cut on the stone. Caelum had already started running however, and delivered a roundhouse kick right into her stomach after jumping over the column. He followed the attack by launching another thin blade of wind, which connected with Kiera's arm. A inch-long thin and shallow cut appeared, making Caelum the winner. "I believe that I won this match." said the windbender as he helped Korra up. "CAELUM!" Tenzin's angry shout drew attention to him from the two benders. "What was that? What kind of airbending did you use that could actually cut someone? That is an insult to the airbending culture.!" he roared. Korra started to defend Caelum against the accusation, but the windbender stopped her. "Let us go inside. I'll tell you everything, from my ancestors to my past." he promised. The group reassembled at the dining room of temple, where Caelum began his story. "Let me tell you about my ancestry first. My ancestors were a group of airbenders who separated from the air nomads and called themselves the wind monks. They were worshipers of an ancient spirit of light..."

When Caelum finally finished, the airbenders were troubled. "Caelum, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I also apologize for insulting your culture. Please forgive me." apologized Tenzin. "Of course. It is understandable, after all. Windbenders were warriors, peaceful, but still warriors." replied the windbender. Pema was shocked and dispirited. She immediately hugged Caelum tightly, much to his displeasure. "Ma'am, I can't breathe." he gasped. The woman let go after a few seconds, then sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. It's just that you had to suffer and do terrible acts at such a young age just to survive...you shouldn't had to suffer through that. No one should." she said. "Perhaps" replied Caelum. Then the airbender children hugged him as well. Unfortunately for Caelum, he realized that Jinora was right on his chest. The poor boy fainted from embarrassment. "...I think he need to go to bed." said Korra. "You're right. Let's leave him to sleep and eat dinner. He had a long day." announced Pema. She then moved him into his room with his belongings, away from the worried looks of the children. But when she tried to move the mask, Caelum's hand moved on its own and kept it on. Pema attempted to move it, then soon gave up and left the room. And so the young windbender slept, for the first time in 7 years, in a house with a proper bed.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 end**

I got the wind bending idea from wind style in **Naruto**. The windbending stance is based on the Inunzuka fighting style Four Legs Technique from the same anime.


	3. Chapter 3 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1:** **Equality**

Chapter 3: Life on Air Temple Island

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

" _ **Spirit thinking"**_

 _The present:_

It was a bright morning for Republic City. The birds were singing. The sun was shining. In Air Temple Island, people were sleeping a little later than usual. Suddenly, the peace was shattered from a large blast. Everyone came outside. "What is going on here?" asked Tenzin. The answer became apparent as he stepped out into the courtyard. Caelum and Korra was sparring with each other. Korra blasted fire from her fists and Caleum used the speed granted to airbenders to dodge all of the blasts. He then retaliated with a violent gust of wind. Korra fell down, then sent a column of earth straight at him. Caelum was unlucky this time, and was flung into the air after the earth column smashed into his chin. He flipped in the air, landed on his feet, and spat out bit of blood. "Not bad. You actually hit me, unlike yesterday." he drawled. "Heh, that was just a warm up." retaliated Korra. "Actually, I'm holding back." retorted Caelum. They ran at each other again. Korra bent some water from a nearby pool and trapped Caelum inside of it. Caelum struggled for a bit, then blasted the water away from him with a sphere of wind. He immediately ran towards Korra and kicked her in the guts, blasting her further away with air bending for a good measure. Korra stood up, though she was a bit winded. "That last one really hurt." complained Korra. "It's supposed to." quipped Caelum. As they stood up for another bout: "Korra! Caelum! Breakfast will be done after 10 minutes. After that, come to the training field. We'll be meditating and training Korra." ordered Tenzin.

"Understood sir." said Caelum. After a few more minutes of sparring, Caelum decided to call it a day and headed to the men's shower area. After a nice shower, he dried himself with airbending, got dressed, and headed off towards the dining room. Along the way, he spotted Jinora. "Hey, Jinora. How are you doing?" he asked. "Oh! I-er- I am doing fine." stuttered Jinora. _"What's wrong with me?"_ thought Jinora, blushing. Caelum then seemed to smirk, his occasional childish nature surfacing. "Hey, race you to the dining room." he said. "Oh, no way are you beating me!" replied Jinora with a grin. The two raced towards the dining room, blowing past air acolytes and the items they were carrying. Suddenly, Jinora tripped into Caelum and the two crashed onto the floor. "Ow. You okay?" said Caelum, worried. "Yeah, I'm fine." replied Jinora. It was then they were conscious about their position. Jinora was under Caelum, who had his arms wrapped around her to protect her form the fall. Their faces were mere inches away from each other. "EEEK!" squeaked out Jinora. "AAAAH!" yelled out Caelum. The two immediately separated. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." exclaimed a frantic Caelum. "No, i-it's fine... I guess it was my fault in the first place." said Jinora. Just then, they heard an ominous chuckle. "Oooh, we have some love birds here~." cooed Ikki and Meelo. "You morons/brats!" yelled out Jinora and Caelum as they chased the troublesome pair.

 _The Dining Room:_

Tenzin was waiting for four other people, namely Caelum, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, to arrive. Pema too was getting a bit impatient. "Where are they?" she asked to herself. All of a sudden: BANG! A loud crash was heard outside of the door. Everyone opened the door and saw Jinora lying on top of Caelum. "Mommy! Daddy! Guess what!" exclaimed Ikki and Meelo, who entered the room. "No! Don't you two dare!" shouted out the unfortunate pair on the floor. They were ignored. "Caelum and Jinora like each other!"

Tenzin, Pema, and Korra were rendered speechless. Then Pema smirked mischievously. "So, I guess you're at that age, hmm Jinora?" teased Pema. "Mom/Ma'am! That's not it!" yelled out the pair as they jumped to there feet. Tenzin was feeling slighlty protective. _"This better not be true."_ he thought ominously. Korra on the other hand... "Oh my gosh! You two love each other? When's the first date? Are you two planning to marry each other? Please tell me, pleeease!" said Korra, who took over Ikki's role of rapid-firing questions. "WE DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER THAT WAY!" roared out the duo. "Can't we go back to breakfast?" pleaded Jinora. "Fine." Pema sighed. "Lets eat."

After breakfast (and a lot of teasing), Tenzin, Korra, Caelum, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo walked over to the Meditation Pavilion and crouched down in a meditative position. Of the five students, Caelum, Jinora, and Ikki were actually meditating. Meelo was asleep while Korra was getting too distracted. "I think I'm doing it wrong." said Korra after a few minutes. "There's nothing to do. Let your mind and your spirit be free, for air is the element of freedom." replied Tenzin. "And yet, you wouldn't let me listen to pro-bending over on the radio the other day." grumbled Korra. "Please, Korra, look at Caelum. He's doing it well." said Tenzin. "Only because I usually meditate instead of sleeping." replied Caelum. "You don't sleep?" asked Jinora, opening her eyes. "No. my victims' faces always appear in my dreams." said Caelum. "Oh. I'm sorry." said Jinora in a small voice. "Don't worry about it." said Caelum. Tenzin sighed. "Korra, if you do as I say, eventuay it'll click. Trust me." said the airbending master. "Korra got backnto meditation for 2 seconds, then gave a long groan. "I'm taking break and getting myself some lychee juice." she said as she stomped off."Korra, the exercise isn't done yet!" Tenzin yelled, but he was ignored. "Can I have a lychee juice as well, Dad?" asked Ikki. Tenzin gave a deadpan look. "No."

After an hour, the students were allowed to spend the rest of the day to relax. "Hey, Caelum, want to play air scooter racing?" Ikki asked. "Air scooter racing? How do you play?" replied Caelum, curious. "You form an air scooter, which is a ball of spinning air, and race on it. Whoever passes first through a torri gate we chose wins. And this time, the winner gets to choose what penalty last place will get." explains Ikki. "Do you make the ball like this?" asked Caelum as he concentrated. Soon, a sphere of air slowly materialized around Caelum, with him in the center with the palms together and his feet crossed. "Woah! That's an Avatar level technique!" cried out Jinora in awe, which left Caelum blushing. Meelo then demostrated the air scooter, which was balancing on a ball of air, crossing the feet, and putting the knuckles together. After Caelum got it down, the contestants took off with Meelo on the lead. Pretty soon, Ikki was in the lead. They flashed by Pema, ruffling her hair and startling her. "Be careful, kids!" she called out. After a while, Ikki passed through the torri gate, with Jinora being second, Meelo being third, and Caelum being last. "Right, then. What is my punishment?" asked Caelum. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine as Ikki and Meelo grined evilly at him. "Your punishment..." paused Ikki. "...is to take Jinora out on a date!"

There was a long pause. Then all hell broke loose. "WWHHAAAAAATTTT?!" screamed Caelum and Jinora. "You heard me." said Ikki, grinning. Caelum and Jinora blushed and turned away from each other. After a moment, Caelum gathered his courage and turned to Jinora. "J-Jinora." he stuttered. "W-would you... would you like to go out on a date with me?"

* * *

 **Chapter 3 End**

I'm going to include Rasengan from **Naruto** later on because I rather like that move. No Rasenshuriken, unfortunately, it's not realistic enough.

The reason why Caelum can use Aang's air sphere is because windbending involves using spheres of wind as weapons as well, though it's not mentioned.


	4. Chapter 4 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1: Equality**

Chapter 4: The Warrior and the Nomad

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

 ** _Spirit thinking"_**

 _The present:_

Jinora turned around with a shocked look on her red face. "I-I...S-Sure, what t-time?" asked Jinora. "Oh, er, at noon tomorrow, perhaps?" said Caelum. "O-okay." replied Jinora. Suddenly, they felt another ominous chill down their backs. They turned around, and immediately regretted it. "EEEEE! My baby girl is going on a date!" shrieked an excited Pema who was eavesdropping. "Mom/Ma'am! It's not like that!" yelled Jinora and Caelum. "But the two of you are so perfect together! You even synchronized your yells." replied a smirking Pema. "Now come dear daughter, I'll teach you how you should act tomorrow! Ikki, you should teach Caelum." ordered Pema. "Okay Mom!" replied Ikki. _"This can't be happening!"_ thought the pair. "Somebody help us!" they pleaded. But no one came.

 _Evening:_

The airbender family and their guests would normally be calmly eating their dinner, if it weren't for today's events that is. Korra was excited about the pro-bending game and about Jinora and Caelum's date. Caelum and Jinora, on the other hand, were blushing so badly, they couldn't eat their food. Tenzin was depressed, mainly because his baby daughter was all grown up (baby daughter in question being Jinora). Pema and Ikki were whispering to each other excitingly, most likely about tomorrow's date. In the end, everyone finished their dinner rather late, and went to bed. The next day, the students and Tenzin walked out to the training field, where the Gates were set up. "Alright, Korra," said Tenzin. "The objective of the Gates is to move through the panels while they are spinning by flowing with their movement, just like a leaf in the wind. Speaking of which, Caelum, where is your airbending attire?"

"I didn't wear them because my usual attire is more comfortable. Also, I am rather attached to this outfit." replied Caelum. "Very well." said Tenzin. "Alright then, Jinora, please give a demonstration. Caelum, go after her please."

The two nodded, then Jinora blasted the gates with air and ran in, twisting and turning around the panels gracefully. When she reached the other end, she blasted the gates once more. This time Caelum went in, dodging the gates almost as if he was fighting. He eventually came out of the other side with a kick. "Excellent, Caelum. But next time, try it without the attacks." said Tenzin. "Now you try, Korra."

Tenzin sent a gust of wind toward the Gates, which spun them quickly. "Alright, lets do this!" she declared. Korra immediately barged into the gates. CRASH! She was knocked backwards. She got up and tried again. This time, she got through hit by multiple panels before being knocked into the ground. Once, she even got hit back to her original spot. "Don't force your way through!" advised Jinora. "Dance, dance like the wind!" added Ikki. ""Be the leaf!" suggested Meelo. "Try imagine that you're dodging enemies without bending!" shouted Caelum. At his words,she dodged 2 panels. "Hey, I thinks it's work-OW!" she roared as she lost focus. At eleven, she finally broke down and torched the Gates with frustration. "That was a 2,000 year old historical treasure. What... what is wrong with you?" shouted a shocked and furious Tenzin. "Nothing's wrong with me! I have been trying to master airbending! I tried! But it just won't work!" yelled Korra back. "You can't force yourself to airbend. Maybe if you just listen to me-" Tenzin started. "I have been! But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe the reason I haven't learned airbending yet is because you're a terrible teacher." screamed Korra. She then stomps away. "Yeah, daddy, you're a terrible teacher!" said a grinning Meelo as he started to kick and throw around the wreckage of the Gates. Tenzin looked down with defeat, but Ikki and Jinora both moved as one to hug him comfortingly while Caelum had a look of sympathy in his eyes. "It's not you who's the problem, but her mentality." stated Caelum. "She is more of a fighter. As such, you need to find a slightly more combat-based method."

"I thank you for your observation, but violence isn't the airbending way." Tenzin replied. "Then we can only hope that she would find a way herself. Freedom is the way of an airbender after all, no?" asked Caelum. At that, the other three airbenders laughed.

 _Later:_

Caelum was waiting for Jinora outside of her room with his hair was combed and his clothes clean. He was wearing his usual trench coat, a black T-shirt, black pants, and black shoes. And as always, he had his mask on. Just then Jinora came out. She was wearing a red T-shirt with the blue arrow of the airbenders and an orange skirt that came up to her knees. "Wow... you look very pretty, Jinora." said Caelum. "Oh really? Thanks. You look pretty good yourself." replied Jinora, blushing. Caelum couldn't say anything as he was blushing so badly. As they walked out of the house, they heard Pema and Ikki yell "Have a good date! Be back at 10 at the very latest!" Immediately, Caelum picked up Jinora bridal style and raced off towards Republic City at such high speeds, he ran on top of the water's surface. "Wow, they must be eager." said Pema.

After setting down Jinora, Caelum immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I just had to get away from that place quickly..." he said. "Don't be. I'm glad that you got me out of there too. So, what have you got planned today?" asked Jinora. "Well, I thought about having lunch first, then going to the amusement park. I even got some pro-bending tickets for evening at six thirty, if you want to go." replied Caelum. Just then, Jinora's stomach gurgled, and she looked away, embarrassed. "Awww, my date is so cute when she's embarrassed." teased Caelum, who earned a playful slap on the arm from Jinora. "Sounds like a plan." she said.

They arrived at a pho restaurant near the street. "Um, do you have enough money? Not to be rude or anything." asked Jinora. "Nah, I'm fine. I got money in the bank from my parents and also a whole lot of money from bounty hunting. That was during my more...questionable days, of course." was Caelum's answer. When they entered the restaurant they began to take their order. "I would like some water to drink, Vietnamese Fried Egg Rolls fro appetizers, and a Large Rare Steak Beef Noodle Soup without cilantro or onions please." said Caelum. "And the lady?" asked the waiter. "I would like Iced Tea to drink and Vegetarian Soup please." replied Jinora. "Alright, please wait for a bit." said the waiter as he walked off. There was an awkward silence over the two customer's table. "So," asked Caelum, breaking the ice. "What are your hobbies?"

"Huh? Oh, I like to read books a lot during my free time. I enjoy history the most." replied Jinora. "Really? I do like to read up on the 100 Year War. Some of the battles were rather spectacular." said Caelum. "Oh? I'm not really into the battles, but they certainly contain some interesting information about all the generals." said Jinora. As they waited for their food, they started to talk about many historical figures and events. When the food finally arrived they started to eat, with their discussion shifting into talking about their likes and dislikes. After lunch, they walked to the amusement park. "What do you want to ride first?' asked Caelum. "Hmmm...the roller coasters first!" declared Jinora. Needless to say, Caelum and Jinora enjoyed the roller coasters, seeing as how they are used to high speeds being airbenders. After that, the two headed toward the prize stands, where Caelum won a prize for Jinora. It was a small stuffed sky bison doll. "Aww, thanks." she said. And then, Jinora did something daring. She lifted up Caelum's mask a little and kissed his cheek, then happily skipped off, leaving Caelum to mentally thank Ikki for the punishment she gave him. After the amusement park, they rushed toward the pro bending arena to find their seats. They were rooting for the Fire Ferrets. How shocked were they when they saw Korra as a player! "I didn't know Korra was a pro bending player." said Jinora. "Neither did I." said Caelum. They watched as the Fire Ferrets were losing to the Platypus Bears, mainly due to Korra causing fouls. Already, the Fire Ferrets were losing. "Come on, Korra." the duo muttered. And then suddenly, something happened. Korra started to use air bending styles to dodge and weave, even blasting back her opponents. The rest of the Fire Ferrets joined her, pushing back their opponents. "Yeah, go Korra!" yelled Jinora. "I knew she would find it. I think I'll give Master Tenzin the good news." declared Caelum. And then... "WOOHOO!" Jinora and Caelum immediately turned to the shout and saw Tenzin exit the arena. _"Was that Dad/Master Tenzin?"_ wondered Jinora and Caelum. After the match, with the Fire Ferrets as the winners, Caelum walked Jinora home. However, Jinora started to fall asleep. Sensing this, Caelum picked up Jinora bridal style and ran back to Air Temple Island. After saying goodnight to Pema, Caelum carried a sleeping Jinora to his room, tucked her in his bed, and placed the sky bison doll in her arms. Then, he silently walked up to her, lifted up his mask a little, and kissed her cheek. "Good night, Jinora. See you tomorrow" said Caelum. Jinora smiled in her sleep. He then sat on the mat on his floor and crouched in a meditative pose. And the night went on.

* * *

 **Chapter 4 end**

The food that Caelum and Jinora ordered were all from the menu of the restaurant known as _The House of_ _Pho_.

Jinora is eleven in my story. Other than that, everyone else's age are the same as the original series.

Caelum's emotions are complex. He's usually emotionless, but can become a stuttering mess automatically when embarrassed or nervous. Basically, Caelum can shift his mood very quickly depending on the situation.


	5. Chapter 5 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1:** **Equality**

Chapter 5: The Promise at the End

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

 _ **Spirit thinking"**_

 _The present:_

Jinora woke up in an unfamiliar room. _"Where am I?"_ she sleepily wondered. She then thought about yesterday's date. Immediately, she grew a blush and a small blush. _"Oh gosh, I kissed him! It was only on the cheek but still!"_ she thought. Then she noticed Caelum meditating on the floor. "Ah! Oh, uh, Caelum! Didn't see you there!" said Jinora. "Good morning." he replied. "I left you in my room because you were so sleepy... I hope you didn't mind."

"No, it's fine." Jinora replied. There was an awkward pause. "So, uh, breakfast?" asked Jinora, breaking the silence. "Sure." Caelum replied. As they headed to the dining room, the rest of the airbender family (Korra was training) were waiting for them. "So..." said Pema. "How did the date go?"

"It was great! I mean, it was great." replied Jinora. "Hey, Caelum, did you sleep together with Jinora last night?" asked Meelo. Jinora and Caelum blushed so badly, they had steam coming out of their ears. Even Caelum's mask was pure red. "NO! All I did was kiss her on the cheek and meditate..." trailed off Caelum. "I mentioned the kiss on the cheek, didn't I." said Caelum with a depressed look on his face. "Yes. You did." said Tenzin in a displeased voice. "To be fair, dad, I kissed him on the cheek earlier. And, uh, did you actually...you know." asked Jinora. "Yes, I did. And you looked very cute when you smiled in your sleep, if I may add." replied Caelum. Jinora blushed up a storm at that statement. "Aww, that is so adorable!" said Pema. "I hope you bought her lunch though, she is a growing girl."

"Err, yes, I did. There is money in my parent's bank account and bounty hunting made me rich, sort of." Caelum replied. "How much do you have?" asked Ikki, curious. "About 10,000,000 yuans in total." answered Caelum honestly. "10,000,000?!" everyone gasped. "Yeah. To be honest, I don't know what to do with it all." he said.

* * *

"30,000 YUANS?!" yelled Bolin (earth bender pro-bending player). "30,000 yuans to enter the tournament?"

* * *

"Achoo!" sneezed Caelum. "Oh! Do you have allergies?" said Pema, concerned. "No, I'm alright, ma'am." Caelum replied. _"Why do I have this feeling that Korra might need some help?"_ he wondered to himself. "Well, I'm finished with breakfast. I'm going out. Is that okay?" Caelum asked. "Very well, you may go." said Tenzin. "Can I come with?" asked Jinora. "Oh, uh, of course. Though I might end up in triad territory. Either that, or I'll just meditate in the park." said Caelum. "Absolutely not! Jinora, you may not go with him." ordered Tenzin. "Oh well, Sorry Jinora.I'll hang out with you tomorrow, okay? Bye." he said befor lifting his maska little and kissing her on the cheek and a hug. He then zoomed off. Taking his staff, he ran towards a cliff and jumped. The staff's wings extended and he glided towards Republic City. He settled down near the pro-bending arena and walked off. Along the way he met up with Korra. "Hey, Caelum! How was your date?" asked Korra, enthusiastically. "It was great! I even got ki- actually, you know what? Never mind. Nice probending match though, I got to see you in action." replied Caelum. "Where are you going?" asked Korra. "Just around the city. I'm bored, so I'm hoping that a triad member will try target me, or maybe I'll just meditate in the park." answered Caelum. "Cool! Can I come with?" Korra asked. "I thought you have pro-bending training to do." Caelum answered. "Oh yeah, shoot. Say, you wouldn't happen to have 30,000 yuans lying around, would you?" asked Korra, hopefully. Caelum sweat-dropped. "No. Not at all. Why would I?" asked Caelum. "That sucks. Well, see ya!" yelled Korra. "Bye." said Caelum. He kept walking.

 _Later:_

It was evening. Caelum was bored. So bored, in fact, he was seriously considering going back to Air Temple Island. All he did was meditate in the park and eat a chicken skewer. "I want something to happen right now." said Caelum. Suddenly, he saw a bunch of masked and uniformed motorcycle riders who were loading something into a van. This normally wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that said something was a person. "That was quick." Caelum muttered as he walked up to them. "What do you think you're doing?" asked Caelum in a monotone voice. The kidnappers looked at him for a split second, then started to flee. Caelum ran after them. Suddenly, he was joined by Korra and Mako, who he recognized as the Fire Ferret's firebender. "Korra? What are you doing here?" he questioned. "That van has Bolin in it!" yelled Mako. "Oh yeah, you're the firebender of the Ferrets, Mako. That would make Bolin your earthbending brother, most likely." said Caelum. Suddenly, the kidnappers tossed smoke bombs at the three. The trio coughed for a bit, before Caelum airbent the smoke upwards. "You're an airbender?" asked Mako. "Rescue first, talk later." said Caelum. "Come Naga!" called Korra, and the chase was on. Korra, Mako, and Pabu (the Fire Ferret's fire ferret mascot) chased the kidnappers on top of Naga. Caelum just ran. "I think these guys are Equalists. Be careful, they are dangerous, or so I heard." Informed Caelum to Korra. They pursued the the Equalists until they ended up in a square. That was when three of the Equalists stopped to hold them off. One of them tangled Naga's leg with a pair of bolas, throwing her riders off. Then the Equalists and the rescuers started to fight. Korra sent out a stream of fire towards her opponent. The Equalist dodged, and kicked her in the chest. Mako didn't fare much better. He also tried to firebend, but his opponent leaped over his head and punched him hard on the back. Caelum was doing fine, until his opponent hit his left arm with a series of complicated-looking finger jabs. _"Chi-blocking!"_ thought Caelum. He quickly jabbed himself, freeing his points, much to his opponent's surprise. He slashed at his opponent with his right and caused five deep gashes in his assailant's side. He then formed a sphere of swirling air, and drove it into the Equalist's stomach. The Equalist flew back and skidded across the pavement. Caelum unsheathed the spear point in his staff and pinned the Equalist down by stabbing him through the foot. He screamed as blood gushed into the pavement. Caelum then smashed the staff's other end into the Equalist's head, rendering him unconscious. When Caelum turned around, however, he was hit by the same series of jabs all over his body. As he fell, he saw Korra and Mako in the same situation. The remaining two Equalists took out their bolas and started to whirl them. Just before they threw the bolas however, Naga broke free and came to their rescue. Naga roared at the two, with Pabu screeching at them as well. The Equalists looked at each other, then threw smoke bombs at the ground and sped off on their motorcycles.

"Thanks, girl." said Korra when Naga helped her stand. She attempted to firebend, but no flames came out. "My bending! I-it's gone!" yelled Korra in a panicked voice. "Relax, your chi has been blocked. It'll wear off." said Mako. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Caelum, an airbender. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Equalists follow Amon, right?" said Caelum. "Yeah, the masked guy. Not you, of course." said Mako. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I'm going to take this guy," He prodded the Equalist with his foot. "to the police station, as well as getting more information about the Equalists. Alert me if you find Bolin. "Okay, sure thing." said Mako. And with that, Caelum bandaged the Equalist's foot and headed off to the police.

 _The_ _police office:_

Chief Lin Beifong was not happy. She was stuck doing paperwork in her office. Granted, the night shift did as well, but she had to do it all day. All of a sudden, she heard a knock. "Chief Beifong, we have a situation here that requires you." said an officer. "Great. What is it now?" she muttered to herself. When she came outside, she saw a kid dragging an unconscious masked man into the station. The kid was wearing a mask as well. He also looked very familiar. Then it clicked to her. "Oh, not you again." Lin groaned. "Hello, Chief Beifong. My name is Caelum. Korra and I were attacked by a group of Equalists who captured a pro-bending player named Bolin and a bunch of Triad members. Oh, and we got backed up with the pro-bender's brother, Mako. He's also a pro-bender." said Caelum. "We chased five motorcycles and a van, then we engaged three of the Equalists. Korra and Mako, fought rather well, but got their chi blocked. I managed to stab my opponenet in the foot with my staff and render the Equalists unconscious. Then I got my chi blocked. The remaining two were about to throw bolas at us, but luckily Korra's polar bear-dog was present and chased them off. I sent Mako and Korra to find Bolin and alert me if they have any leads. As for me, I went straight here to dump the Equalist I captured here. I'm planning to go find out more about these Equalists and Amon next."

Lin was speechless for a second, then opened her mouth. "YOU SENT CIVILIANS TO ENGAGE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FORCE?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" she roared. "They aren't potentially dangerous, they are dangerous. And to be fair, Korra is the Avatar, meaning she has some knowledge of combat. I'm pretty sure Mako knows how to fight too." was Caelum's reply. "Call the airbender family. Now." ordered Lin to a cop. "Y-yes C-chief." the officer stammered. "As for you, sit in this chair." ordered Lin. "Fine." grumbled Caelum.

Thirty minutes later, Tenzin arrived, looking worried. "Caelum!" he cried "I'm glad you're okay. Thank you Lin, for taking care of Caelum. Alright now, we need to find Korra."

"No. My work isn't finished yet. We need to find Bolin." Caelum stubbornly said. "We'll handle that." said Lin. "You're no good."said Caelum. "Excuse me?" growled Lin. "The police is bound by the law. If we're to find out what Amon is up to, we need to work outside of the law a little." replied Caelum as he stood up. "I need to go now. Tell Jinora I'm sorry that I can't hang around with her tomorrow, but I need to find out what Amon is up to." requested Caelum. He then marched out and flew off into the night. "Caelum! Wait!" yelled Tenzin. But it was too late. "I can organize a search party." offered Lin. "Thank you. I hope that your forces can find him and Korra in time. Well, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you tonight. Good night, Lin." said Tenzin. "Good night." replied Lin.

It was night the next day. Caelum had snooped around the criminal underworld for information about the Equalists, dodging police forces who were no doubt trying to find him, but all he could find out about them was that they protest against benders. However, Korra and Mako apparently found a lead. A meeting place was found by them, and the Equalists planned to gather there for a special event of some sort at 9:00 PM. At the designated time and place, the trio gathered together. Korra and Mako were both wearing longcoats and hats to disguise themselves. Caelum wore a regular trench coat and left behind his mask. He instead bandaged his face so that it looked as if he got an injury. He stained it with his own blood to make it look more convincing. He wore contacts as well. "Nice disguises." said Caelum in a monotone. "Thanks." said Korra. She then gripped Mako's arm. Her only explanation was to make it look more convincing, and she glared at Caelum when he snickered. When they approached the entrance, a big goon stood in their way. "Invitations?" asked the goon. Mako handed him a flyer. The goon inspected the flyer, then gave a satisfied nod. "Welcome, my brothers and sisters." he said. "And don't worry, we'll get that nasty bender who caused that injury of yours." said the goon to Caelum, who was ranting about an earthbender under his breath. "Why, thank you, good sir." Caelum replied in a raspy voice. The trio went inside.

Once inside, they made their way toward the stage navigating around the huge crowd. After a while of waiting, a voice was heard. "MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! THE HOUR YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR IS NOW! PLEASE WELCOME, YOUR HERO AND SAVIOR, AMON!" yelled the announcer. All the lights focused on one spot. A section of the floor opened up and a row of chi blockers appeared on a platform, with Amon in the front and the Lieutenant on his right. The crowd cheered wildly until Amon raised his hands for silence and started to speak. "My quest for equality began many years ago when I was a little boy." he began. "My family were living in a small farm back then. We had no benders in our family. We were poor as well,making it easy for bandits to steal from us. In particular, there was a firebender who threatened my father. But when my father confronted this man, he took my family and my face away from me! "Which is why, to this day, I have to wear this mask. Now, as you know by now, the Avatar is in the city, and she'll tell you that bending brings balance to this world! How can his be true when it was the primary cause of every single war? Well, that's about to change...for good. You see, ever since the Earth was born, it was the spirits that ruled the wild! And they spoke to me, saying that the Avatar has failed her duties. They chose me to do the job of restoring balance, and gave me the power to do so. The power to take away bending...for good!"

"Impossible" Caelum whispered hoarsely. Korra had a fearful look on her face, and Mako looked wary. Amon called for a demonstration, and brought up the Triad members the equalists captured, and Bolin. "Look, there he is!" whispered Korra. "Not now, lets see the demonstration first. I'm curious about this." said Caelum. Amon gestures towards a man. "This is Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threats and a notorious criminal. He amassed a fortune by abusing non-benders." said Amon. "BOOOO!" yelled the crowd. "Boo yourselves, bitches!" Zolt yelled back. "I, being the courteous man I am, will let Zolt fight for his bending." said Amon. And the two began to fight. Zolt shot a bunch of fireballs at Amon, who dodged with relative ease. While dodging, he came closer and closer. Zolt then started to use lightningbending, trying to fry Amon with lightning. But in the end, Amon succeeded. He went behind Zolt, placed his thumb on his forehead while at the same time placing his next two fingers just in front of Zolt's ears, and took his bending away. Caelum's eyes widened. As Amon started to work on the other captives, Mako made a plan. "Korra, see those on the wall?" he pointed at some pipes and canisters. "Those produce steam. Try to expel the steam as a distraction while Caelum and I get Bolin."

"Alright team captain. Good luck." said Korra. She then began to go towards the pipes. "Now we wait." said Caelum. As time passed, Amon took down the last thug, meaning that Bolin was next. "Come on, Korra." said Mako. And then steam began to rise in the air, obscuring everything. Caelum and Mako dashed forward. "Take Bolin and go!" Caelum yelled. He then attacked Amon. Amon dodged and started to fight back. When Amon tried to land a blow Caelum, he dodged using flowing movements. The same thing happened for Caelum when he tried to hit Amon. The two were at a stalemate, until finally, Amon signaled his chi-blockers to attack. Caelum turned and ran. Even if he didn't use the speed granted to him by airbending, he was still faster than the guards. Even so, he had his chi blocked on the arm. Luckily, he managed to knocked his opponents unconscious. As he raced away, he was joined with Naga with Bolin in her mouth and Pabu, Korra, and Mako on her back. "We have to warn Tenzin." Caelum said to Korra. While the group ran, Amon stopped the chase. "The Avatar would be the perfect messenger." he explained

When Korra and Caelum finally got home, Korra immediately headed towards Tenzin while Caelum met Jinora. "Hello, Jinora." he said. "I was so worried! Dad told me you went hunting for Amon with Korra. Are you okay?" asked Jinora. Caelum nodded. Jinora then smacked Caelum in the head. "Don't do that again! You'll give me a heart attack!" she yelled. "I'm sorry. But I can't stop. Not after what I learned tonight. " Caelum said. And he proceeded to tell everything that happened during the last two days. "So what are you going to do now?" asked Jinora. "I don't know." replied Caelum. "But I'm going to stop Amon for sure. The way he can take away bending, that was no energybending. Only the Avatar could do it. We're dealing with something we don't know, and I can't let him take away bending. Especially since I have feelings for you."

Jinora blushed. "Y-you...like me? Even though it only has been for a few days since we met?" she asked tentatively. Caelum nodded. "I could feel it in my very soul, Jinora. We might be young, but I've never been more sure." answered Caelum with conviction. Jinora looked at him with wide eyes, before looking at him softly and hugging him. Caelum hugged her right back. "I like you too, Caelum. Though, let's start slowly. I'm...still not used to this." said Jinora. "As you wish." replied Caelum has he hugged her tighter. _"I'm going to protect you until the day I die, Jinora."_ he declared in his mind. _"I swear it."_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 end**


	6. Chapter 6 (revised)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own The Legend of Korra

 _The Last Windbender_

 **Book 1:** **Equality**

Chapter 6: The Avatar's Fear

"Talking"

" _Thinking"_

" **Spirit talking"**

 _ **Spirit thinking"**_

 _The present:_

It was midnight in Air Temple Island. Everything was silent, and everyone was asleep. Except for one individual, that is. Caelum, as usual, was mediating instead of sleeping. He looked so peaceful, it was as if he was sleeping while sitting. Suddenly, he heard a scream that came from Korra's room. Caelum's eyes immediately snapped open and rushed toward's the voice. Once he arrived, he quickly opened the door. "Korra, are you okay!?" he yelled. Unfortunately, Korra's nerves still hadn't settled down from the nightmare she had about Amon and his followers a few seconds ago. As such, she began to panic and attack Caelum. She earthbent a column of stone underneath Caelum, who was launched against the roof so hard, he coughed up blood. _"Urk, I'm going to feel that in the morning."_ Caelum thought to himself. "Korra, stop! It's me, Caelum!" he yelled once he reached the ground, but Korra was too scared and too full of adrenaline to listen. "Stay away from me!" she screamed. _"Oh jeez, I don't want to use chi-blocking, but it's my only nonlethal option right now."_ Caelum said in his mind. "I'm sorry, Korra, but you need to calm down." he said. He dodged a blast of fire Korra sent towards him, and moved fluidly while dodging everything she threw towards him. Once he got close enough, Caelum chi-blocked Korra. "No, stop!" she yelled desperately. "I don't want my bending to be taken away!"

"Korra! It's me! Snap out of it!" Caelum yelled into her face. "C-Caelum?" Korra stammered. "Yes, it's me! Amon's not here. There is no way he could've sneaked in here without alerting everyone! It was just a nightmare." gasped out Caelum. Then he sank to his knees in pain. At this point, everyone was awake due to the brawl. Tenzin came in first. "Is everything alright?" He asked. "Everything's fine." Caelum wheezed. "Korra just had a nightmare."

Pema, who came next, let out a gasp. "What happened here?" asked Pema. "Korra had a nightmare." rasped Caelum. And finally, the airbender children came in as well. "Caelum? Are you okay? What happened?!" cried out Jinora. "It's fine. I'm alright. Korra just had a nightmare." wheezed Caelum. At this pint, he was pretty tired of repeating himself. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" cried out Korra. "Like I said, I am fine. I shouldn't have rushed in like that." replied Caelum. "Well, you still need to patch up. And no hard work for a week at least!" declared Pema. "But ma'am-" Caelum started to say. "No!" This time, it was Jinora who said it. "You need to rest!"

"B-but what about the Equalists, Jinora?" said Caelum. "They can wait!" Jinora replied, going into full protective-girlfriend mode. "Awww..." said Caelum dejectedly. After Caelum got treated, he helped Korra clean her room, despite her protests. He then went back to meditating in his room.

* * *

"We must lead a task force!"

"Absolutely not! Such a thing can deepen the rift between benders and non-benders."

The conversation was in City Hall the next day, where the council was debating what to do about Amon and his Equalists. In it, councilmen Tarrlok and Tenzin were currently debating how to solve the problem, with Tarrlok going for the more violent solution. "Why can't you see that this is the only solution, Tenzin?" questioned Tarrlok. "Violence will only provoke the Equalists! Besides, such matters don't have a single solution. And I'm sure that this is one of your ploys to get more power!" countered Tenzin. "It is not. Think back! Forty-two years ago, a man named Yakone threatened our city. Yet your father, late Avatar Aang, didn't have any trouble dealing with him personally."

"How dare you compare to my father!" said Tenzin in anger. "Amon is going attack every benders in this city eventually, not just the triads." said Tarrlok while ignoring Tenzin completely. "Vote for this task force and I will stop Amon before it's too late. All in favor?"

Every councilor raised their hands except for Tenzin, who glared at Tarrlok. Tarrlok banged the gavel. "Behold, a new start to peace!" he announced. mid the claps, Tenzin groaned.

 _After the Debate:_

Evening fell over Republic City. In Air Temple Island, the airbenders and Korra are about to eat dinner. Tenzin was reciting the evening prayer. "We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion, and-" he started. "I hope I am not interrupting anything?" said a voice that Tenzin knew all too well. "Tarrlok, why are you here? My family, my guests, and I are eating dinner." said Tenzin as he glared at Tarrlok. "Why, I'm famished of course, and airbenders don't turn away hungry guests, right?" Tarrlok responded. "I suppose." sighed Tenzin. Tarrlok seated himself between Caelum and Korra. Caelum stared coldly at Tarrlok while Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo giggled. "Hey, why do you have three ponytails? And why do you smell like a lady? You're a wierdo, ponytail man." interrogated ikki as she sniggered. "Well aren't you a...daring young lady. So, Korra, I read in the papers about your feats. Your raid on Amon's rally, for example." said Tarrlok. "Oh, thanks. You're actually the first authority figure that wants me here." replied Korra. "Enough, Tarrlok, tell us why you're here." said Tenzin harshly. "Hmph. Well, I want Korra to join my task force. Someone who is fearless, like yo-" "No." said Korra. The onlookers were shocked to the core. Caelum even dropped his chopsticks. "Korra, I'm glad you didn't accept, but why? I thought you would be jumping for the chance to go against Amon?" Tenzin said at last, confused. "I am here to finish my training, I need to focus on that first." replied Korra. "Very well, Avatar Korra. However, I'm not going to stop. One way or the other, you will join my task force." said Tarrlok. As he stood up to leave however, Caelum spoke. "Councilman Tarrlok of the Northen Waer Tribe. Currently the second most dangerous man in Republic city." he said. "I beg your pardon?' asked Tarrlok with narrow eyes. "Everything you do in the senate, you claim it's for the city when in reality it's for your own benefit. I'll be watching you closely from now on." finished Caelum. "Are you threatening me, boy?" Tarrlok questioned. "No, just letting you know." replied Caelum. Tarrlok stared at him for a while, then exited the room. After a pause, Pema spoke. "Caelum, you shouldn't threaten a councilman." she gently admonished him. "I'm sorry. It's just that he bothers me, like he's hiding something sinister." said Caelum. "Well, let's ignore that for now, and finish our meal." declared Tenzin. Dinner went more smoothly after that.

 _After Dinner:_

Night arrived, blanketing the entirety of Republic City. Korra was up late training for airbending while listening to the radio. All of a sudden, the radio was filled with static until Amon's voice started to speak. "My fellow Equalists, this is your leader, Amon. As you have heard, the Republic council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to squash our revolution. But we can not be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear." As Amon spoke, Korra started to sweat in cold fear, before the radio was turned off. "You should really stop being afraid of Amon, Korra."

Korra stared up to the owner of the voice, Caelum. "I-I'm not afraid of him!" she protested. "That's a lie, Korra, and you know it. You're afraid of his strange power. I offer you this wisdom: control the fear, or the fear will control you." he retorted before leaving Korra alone. The young Avatar just stood there, staring after him.

* * *

It was evening the next day. Korra busy scratching Naga's belly when she saw Bolin coming over for a visit. "Hello fellow teammate!" Korra glanced over and gave him a small smile. "Hey, Bolin." she greeted back. "So, missed you at this week's practice." said Bolin. Yeah, sorry about that, Bolin." apologized Korra. "Oh, don't worry about that. Unless we miraculously receive a bunch of cash tomorrow, we're out of the tournament. Anyway, the reason I came by was to give you this. Here you go!"

He gave Korra a rose and a cupcake with cherries on top. "Wow, uh, thanks. What's this for anyway?" she asked. "Wow, I don't know. Oh wait! You saved me from Amon, remember?" asked Bolin. "Oh, that? It was no big deal." Korra replied as she attempted to wave it off. "No big deal? I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask and threatening to take my bending away! I mean that is pretty scary! I still can't sleep well." Bolin exclaimed. "Delivery for Avatar Korra!"

The voice belonged to a page, who approached the two with gifts. Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer." the page informed. "Tell him I'm still not joining." she rebuked. The page simply bowed and went away. "Who's this Tarrlok? If you want, I can have a word with him." offered Bolton as he angrily glared at the retreating page's back. "He's just some old guy who works with Tenzin on the council. That's all." assured Korra. "Oh, Good! Good, that sounds a lot better." said Bolin. Just then, they spotted a dark figure with a staff sneak away towards the island shoreline. "Hey, whose that?" asked Bolin. "I thinks that's Caelum. He's one of the guys who saved you. He's also an airbender." replied Korra. The two continued to watch as Caelum glanced around warily before extending his staff and gliding away towards the city.

* * *

"A message for the Avatar!" said a page. It was the fourth time that week that Tarrlok tried to recruit Korra. He sent numerous gifts hat were all ignored,and Korra was getting frustrated. "Look, go tell Tarrlok to leave me alone and let it stay that way!" yelled Korra. She then earthbent the page around and promptly kicked him in the behind. "But it's an invitation!" said the page. "An invitation?" asked Caelum, who was present. "Yes. Councilman Tarrlok has prepared a gala in the honor of the Avatar. Would you be courteous enough to join? And of course, you could also invite the airbenders as well." informed the page as he held out an invitation. Korra, thought for a while, then nodded. "Thank you for your time." said the page as he retreated. Caelum turnd to Korra. "It's a trap." he said. "It is?" asked Korra. "You say to the person who knows about various political ways of gaining power." said Caelum sarcstically. Then he went back to being serious again. "Listen, whatever you do, avoid the press. Or at the very least, tell them that you don't think that joining the task force is a good idea due to insufficient training. If that doesn't work, I've got nothing."

"Okay. So, you coming?" asked Korra. "You bet. Jinora is going to be there. I can't wait!" exclaimed Caelum dreamily. Korra sweat dropped. Usually, Caelum could control his emotions pretty well, but when Jinora is mentioned, he goes all lovey-dovey. "Alright then, see you at the entrance." she said. "'Kay. I'll inform the others." replied the windbender.

 _At the party:_

The Airbender Family, along with Korra and Caelum, arrived at the City Hall in formal attires. Caelum even changed his mask into a embroidered cloth one that covered the lower part of the face and his left eye. The airbender children ran ahead, while Caelum walked with Korra and Tarrlok. Eventually, Tarrlok introduce Korra to a middle-aged man, who was with Mako, Bolin, and a teenage girl. "Hello, Avatar. I am Hiroshi Sato." the man introduced himself. "I heard about you, Mr. Sato. You made the Satomobile and own the company Future Industries, right?" asked Caelum. Hisroshi looked surprised, before greeting Korra. Meanwhile, Caelum regarded Mako and the teenage girl next to him. "Hello, Mako. I presume that your date Is Asami Sato, daughter of Mr. Sato, yes?" he asked. The girl looked surprised as well. "Well, yes. And who are you?" she asked. "Caelum, resident airbender of Air Temple Island." replied Caelum. "How did the two of you meet?" asked Korra. "Oh, Asami crashed a moped into Mako one day. Now they are dating, and Future Industries agreed to back us!" informed Bolin. "Wow, er, you okay?" asked Korra with concern. "I'm fine. More than fine, actually." assured Mako as he looked at Asami. Caelum was about to comment as he saw the cute scene, until he saw Tarrlok beckoning Chief Lin over. "Well, that's my cue to leave as soon as possible. Bye, have a wonderful evening." he said as he hurried away. Very soon, he ran into Jinora. "Hi, Jinora!" he exclaimed with joy. "Isn't this party great?" she asked. "It would be better with you." replied Caelum slyly. Jinora giggled, before she lead Caelum by the hand with her. "So, where to, princess?" he asked mischievously. "Stop~! It's kinda embarrassing when you call me that. Anyway, let's get something to eat, then dance." said Jinora as she blushed. Caelum grinned. After a brief snack, the two danced in the dance floor. They used their airbender abilities to twist and turn gracefully around each other as they spun, finally ending with a bow to each other. "You're a really good dancer, Jinora." complimented Caelum. "Thanks. You too." replied Jinora. The two blushed at each other's words, before Caelum saw something that caught his eyes. Tarrlok and Korra were together, with Korra answering the press. "Avatar Korra, you witnessed Amon take away people's bending with your own eyes. How serious a threat does he pose to the innocent citizens of Republic City?" asked a reporter. "He...does pose a huge threat to this city." Korra admitted. "Then why haven't you joined Tarrlok's task force? Don't you think you should be out stopping him?" asked the same reporter. "Well, I-" started Korra. "Are you backing away from the fight?" asked another reporter. "No! I just-"

"Are you going back on your duties?"

"Why are you refusing to join Tarrlok?"

"Are you just afraid of Amon?"

"ENOUGH!" roared Korra. "I'm not afraid of Amon! If this city needs me to, then I'll...I'll join the task force." she surrendered. "Well folks, that's tomorrow's headlines." announced Tarrlok smugly. Korra looked at the crowd, searching the crowd for her familiars. Tenzin and Pema looked on sadly, while Asami, Mako, and Bolin glanced at her worryingly. Even the airbender children were worried. But it all paled in comparison from the saddnes that Caelum radiated from his eyes. She stared miserably at him as the press started to take photos.

* * *

A few days later since the gala, Korra had suited up into her task force uniform, which was remarkably similar to the police uniform. She was with other members, who were gathered around Tarrlok. "My fellow task force deputies." he began. "I have a source that said there is an underground chi-blocking training camp located in the Dragon Flats Burroughs. There is a cellar under this bookstore where the training camp is located. Tonight, we shall investigate. Let's move out!"

The group headed towards the location on a police truck with a large tank of water on it. Once they arrived, they immediately got off and the waterbenders bent the water out. Korra peered at the basement window and spotted a bunch of bandanna-wearing people training. She looked at Tarrlok, who smiled and gave the signal. The waterbenders flooded part of the basement, then froze it, trapping many Equalists inside the ice. Then earthbenders made a large gap for the rest of the forces to invade. The benders started to capture the rest of the Equalists. However, two escaped towards the back door. "I'll catch them!" yelled Korra as she gave chase. As she ran after them, she tripped on a tripwire and fell crashing down. As she flipped over on her back, she saw an uniformed Equalist bearing down upon her. But before the Equalist could strike her, a jet of water crashed into him before freezing him onto the wall. The jet of water was revealed to be sent by Tarrlok. "We make a rather good team, Avatar." he remarked. "Yeah." Korra begrudgingly agreed.

* * *

"Everyone, I have another lead." announced Tarrlok the next night. "There is another training camp in a warehouse down by the southern portion of the docks. The lead said that there are at least 30 trainees and 5 teachers, so be ready. Let's go!"

When they arrived, they surrounded the warehouse. The waterbenders bent the water from the sea while the earthbenders raised stone blocks. Korra joined the firebenders as they prepared to fight. But before they could attack, yells of alarm erupted from the warehouse. Confused, the would-be invaders went into the building, where they saw the Equalists circling around a dark figure wearing a mask. In fact, Korra recognized the mask. "Caelum? Oh, no. Tarrlok, we need to help him, he'll be overrun!" panicked Korra. The councilman looked thoughtful. "No, let's wait first." he decided as he gave the signal to stand down. "But-" Korra started to protest. "If we think that he's in trouble, we'll intervene. But this is the perfect opportunity to try and recruit your young friend." interrupted Tarrlok as he continued to watch. Caelum had started to attack at this point. He first leapt over the Equalists, startling them. He then quickly launched blasts of wind with his fists, taking out a few of of the enemy. The Equalists retaliated, with two of them chi-blocking Caelum. However, their plan backfired as he unblocked his points. Then he delivered a kick to their face and started to chi-block them, as well as delivering more kicks and punches. He took out half of the entire group. Caelum then unslung his staff and unfurled the bottom wings, as well a spearhead. He spun it with his right hand, his other had forming a compressed sphere of swirling wind. Then he struck, slashing Equalists with the spear and smashing Equalists with the sphere. While no crippling or fatal wounds were wrought upon them, they were given wounds that would scar them for life. At last, all of the Equalists, save one, laid strewn across the floor. Caelum took a few deep breaths, looked over his handiwork, then glanced over at Korra. "Well, how long are you guys going to stand there?" he announced. Tarrlok stepped forward and clapped. "Bravo, young airbender. Your actions have proven you to be a warrior of immense power. You shall be rewarded and given a spot in my task force." he promised. "No. I refuse. I'll do things my way." he retorted. Before Tarrlok could convince him, however, Korra ran forward. "Caelum! What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous this is?" she asked. "Do you? You foolishly joined this task force even though you're afraid of Amon and even though your training is incomplete. You might've put up a bravado the first time, but eventually, you'll slip up and do something foolhardy. There is bravery when you fight something that you're afraid of, and then there is foolishness when you fight the fear when it already controls you. Stop this at once, Korra. This isn't how you're suppose to fight the Equalists. Not when you're not ready." Caelum lectured. Then he blasted a hole on the roof and flew off back to Air Temple Island. Korra watched for a while, then turned towards Tarrlok. "I'm going back home." she told him. Tarrlok sighed before giving her a nod. As soon as she dressed back into her usual clothes, she headed towards the island, with Caelum's words still haunting her mind.

* * *

The next day, it was noon. Caelum decided to hang out with Jinora. The two were currently in the clearing of one of the many forests of the island. The two were currently taking a walk, when Jinora suddenly stopped. "Caelum?" she asked. The windbender turned towards her. "Yes?" he asked. "It's been in my mind for a while, but why do you hide your face behind that mask?" she asked nervously. Caelum seemed to debate with himself, then made up his mind. "Do you want to see it?" he offered. "Well, I won't deny the fact that I'm curious, but I don't want you to if you're uncomfortable with it." replied Jinora. "I have to show it to you sooner or later. Best to rip off the bandage now." Caelum said. He then untied the straps behind his head and slid the mask off. Jinora gasped at the sight. His skin was pale and greyish, just like his hands. Jinora thought that he was wearing gloves the entire time. His golden eyes looked even more beautiful than usual and his face was rather cute, but it was marred by a thick scar running from his left eye to his right cheek. Jinora touched his scar gently. "How did you get this?" she whispered. Caelum looked at her and prepared to speak. "It was during one of my revisits of the city. I learned the identity of the triad member who killed my parents. I was left with a choice, whether or not to take revenge. While Wind Warrior Monks promoted extreme violence when the need to defend arose, they were still a lot like the Air Nomads, promoting peace and discouraging vengeance. I disregarded my beliefs and chose vengeance. I sought out the triad member, fought him, and killed him. Unfortunately, I paid the price for my stupidity. He managed to strike me across the face with fire and gave me this injury. I ran, fleeing the city. It took me weeks to heal. An old waterbender healer offered to heal it so that it wouldn't scar, but I declined so that I would be reminded of my foolishness. I instead custom-made this mask to serve both as armor and as a way to hide my shame." He finished. Then he looked very nervous. "So, now that you saw my face, do you...think that I'm ugly?"

Jinora stood silent for a second, then took his hand. "No. I think you look rather handsome. And you shouldn't think of it as a mark of shame. Anyone can break their beliefs time to time." she said, before kissing him in the cheek gently. Caelum stood looked at her, until his eyes began to water. "You know, you're the third person I know who said something that warming." he murmured as tears streaked his cheeks. The two embraced each other, before letting after a few seconds. Caelum wiped his tears away before retying the straps of his mask. He then held out his hand. "Let's go back. I need to recuperate. I haven't felt so emotionally exhausted since my parent's death." Caelum said. Jinora smiled at him, and accepted it. The two walked back towards the temple, with Jinora hugging Caelum's arm.

It was 7:00 AM. Caelum was relaxing in his room, listening to the news in the radio as he laid on his bed. All of a sudden, he stood up violently and continued to listen as he heard Tarrlok's voice. "Avatar Korra has answered the call to deal with the Equalists. With the two of us leading the vanguard, Republic City has no reason to fear Amon and his followers." he claimed. "Question for the Avatar! You have joined the task force in order to defeat Amon, yet he still remains at large. Care to tell us why?" asked a reporter. "You wanna know why? It's because Amon is hiding like the coward he is! Amon, I challenge you to a one-on-one duel. No task force, no Equalists. Just you and me at tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's settle this now, Amon. That is, if you're man enough to face me." challenged Korra. Caelum immediately turned off the radio. "She slipped up." he muttered before grabbing his staff. He quickly sneaked out and flew off towards the the giant statue of Avatar Aang under the cover of darkness.

 _A few minutes before the duel:_

Korra walked down the pier, surrounded by the task force and Tarrlok. As she marched towards a boat with a lantern, Tenzin landed next to them with a glider. "Korra, stop! This is madness!" he pleaded. "Don't try to stop me and definitely don't follow me. I challenged Amon and I must uphold it." stated Korra firmly as she got on the boat. She then propelled herself forward with waterbending. Tenzin whirled around and faced Tarrlok. "This is all your fault! You're to blame for this!" he yelled. "Believe me, this wasn't what I had in mind either. Don't worry though, I have called in a fleet of police airships in case things go wrong." assured Tarrlok as he gazed after Korra.

Korra stood on top of the platform of the statue, posed and ready to fight. She waited, until the a loud bong of a clock underneath the platform sang, signaling midnight. Korra started to tense. A thirty minutes later however, Amon didn't arrive. "Guess he was a chicken after all." she muttered. She started to walk away, until she reached the ground floor. But just as she passed a dark archway, she was suddenly blown forward by a violent gust of wind. Korra cried out in shock as she was hurled onto the ground. Then she heard quiet footsteps walk into the archway, along with the flapping sound of a fan opening. She quickly got up as sounds of fighting erupted and entered the archway. When Korra lit up the place with firebending, she was stunned. Caelum was fighting Amon and a roomful of Equalists, armed with his staff with the bottom wings unfurled and the spearhead out, along with what looked like gloves with claws on them. He chi-blocked an Equalist and stabbed the chest of another with the spear. Then he blew back two of them before slashing their stomachs wide open with sharpened wind. Korra had enough. "CAELUM! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" she screamed as she joined the fray. She sent a pillar of earth crashing into an Equalist and sent another back with firebending. Caelum hacked and slashed, beheading and gutting Equalists left and right as he headed for Amon. He acted like a berserker, cutting down any enemies in his path. He reached Amon, and started to engage him in combat. "No!! He's mine!" roared Korra. She blasted the Equalists in her path with fire and rocks, trying to reach Amon. But soon, she was overwhelmed by chi-blocking and fell unconscious. Meanwhile, Caelum was fighting in a ring made out of Equalists with Amon. He matched Amon strikes with his own and sent sharpened blades of wind with his unfurled staff, which Amon dodged. Caelum started to snarl, summoning a sphere of compressed air with a clawed hand. He attempted to hit Amon, but with no avail. The two masked combatants then halted the fight momentarily as they circled each other. "You have proven to me that you're a determined warrior full of loyalty and spirit. For you have fought and killed my beloved followers for the Avatar and what you believe to be peace. It is a pity that you have bending, you would have made an excellent Equalist. As a sign of respect, tell me your name and titles, if you have any." asked Amon. "Caelum, the Last Windbender!" responded Caelum. "Caelum, tonight you honor me, for I shall have the privilege of cleansing you of your filthy bending and make you pure once more, transforming you from this savage beast in front of me into a true human worthy of praise!" he announced. "Fuck off!" retorted Caelum as he rushed Amon. The two fought once more, but soon, it was clear that Amon would win. For Caelum was still a 12-year old boy, and didn't have enough stamina. After a few minutes, Caelum finally made a mistake. He launched himself at Amon, intending to crush his head with a wind sphere. However, Amon dodged and kicked the young bender in the ribs. The pain made him collapse and let go of his staff, unable to move. Amon grabbed Caelum as he struggled, and went behind him. Suddenly, Caelum gasped and attempted to move, but found out that he couldn't. _"Wh-what's happening to me? Why am I...no, it can't be!"_ he thought in his mind. But just as Amon put his thumb on Caelum's forehead, an Equalist ran in. "Sir! Enemy reinforcements are coming!" she announced. Amon seemed to think about it, then made up his mind. "Let's go. And leave those two behind. They are two of this city's most powerful benders, so they shall provide an example to the city of our might." Amon declared, before hitting a pressure point on Caelum and knocking him unconscious. Then they left, leaving no trace of themselves except for the unconscious forms of Caelum, Korra, and the corpses of the Equalists that Caelum slew along with a few that both Korra and Caelum knocked out among them.

When Tenzin, Tarrlok, and Chief Lin Beifong arrived with the police and the task force a few minutes later, they saw the gory scene before them. "What happened here?" asked Lin as she surveyed the scene. Many officers nearly hurled at the smell and sight of the corpses. "Korra!" cried out Tenzin as he rushed toward her prone body, just out of reach of the large pool of blood. He reached her and shook her awake. "Tenzin...is that you?" she asked. "Yes, I'm here." she replied before sobbing and hugging him. "Did he...did he take your bending away?" he asked tentatively. "No." said a voice. Amid the gore, Caelum rose, leaning on his staff. The rest of the viewers gasped, startled. He was drenched in blood. "I managed to divert Amon's attention away from her..."

"Caelum?! Is that really you?" gasped Tenzin in horror. Caelum gave a nod and walked forward, leaning on his staff like a cane. "Who killed all these people?" questioned Chief Beifong. "I did." replied the windbender. The onlookers looked at him with horrified eyes. "Enough! I did what I had to do. I had no choice but to kill them. I'm sorry. I would take it all back if I could. There still are a few that are alive. You can take them." he said. The task force and the police quickly moved to save the fallen. Caelum stared at them for a while, before he kneeled before Tenzin. "...If you want me gone Master Tenzin, I understand. But there is something I need to tell you in private, so please tolerate my presence little longer." he begged Tenzin. Tenzin looked at him, then shooked his head. "I'm not going to throw you out. But this sort of thing must never happen again. Is that clear?" ordered Tenzin harshly. Caelum hesitated for a second before answering. "I don't think I can truly escape a situation where I have to kill, but I'll keep it to a bare a minimum." he conceded. Tenzin nodded, satisfied. Just then, Chief Beifong walked over. "That being said, he's still under arrest." she said. "Chief, just cover this up. He only did it to protect the Avatar. Just this once, Lin." pleaded Tarrlok, speaking at last. "What?! Are you kidding me? This child just killed a large amount of people! We can't just let him go after this!" she protested. "Were they innocent?" asked Tarrlok. Chief Beifong clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists, before relaxing. "Very well. But this is the only time I'll cover up for a murderer. And I'm only doing this because he could be a useful asset for to against Amon." she replied. But before she could walk away, she was stopped by Caelum. "Wait! Please come to Air Temple Island. There is something I must tell yours well at all cost. I beg of you, please." he begged as he went on all fours. Lin raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Tenzin, who nodded. "Fine." she said. "Let's go."

 _At the Air Temple living quarters:_

After Caelum washed off all the gore and changed his clothes, Korra, Tenzin, and Lin gathered around a table in front of him. "What I'm about to tell you all must never get out of this room until the Equalist crisis is over. Otherwise, every waterbender in this city will be lynched by the public." warned Caelum. "What exactly is so dangerous that you have to tell us in secret?" asked Lin. "When I was fighting Amon, I lost in the end. He soon threatened to take my bending away. However, as he was about to take it away, I felt an icy sensation, and I couldn't move. It was as if something was holding me down. I fought enough waterbending criminals to know that feeling. Amon...is a bloodbender." declared Caelum. The room was silent for a few seconds, before Lin laughed. "Do you honestly think that I would believe that?" she said as she laughed. "You've never actually fought a bloodbender in full moon, have you?" said Caelum. Lin stopped laughing. "Well, no. There hasn't been a bloodbender in this city for years." she replied, frowning. "Well, there are still a few outside the city in other parts. I should know, since I fought them." replied Caelum. "You expect me to believe that you fought bloodbenders before?" asked Lin mockingly. "Actually, Caelum here said that he was once a bounty hunter." informed Tenzin. Lin was speechless as Caelum handed her a small booklet. "This is a booklet about my past, Chief Beifong. It's when I don't feel like talking about my past. Returning to the topic at hand, mark my words, Chief. Amon is a bloodbender who can bend blood without the full moon. The only other person I know who can do that was Yakone, who left the city according to a history book I read. It's possible that Amon is related to Yakone somehow." warned Caelum. Lin looked down in thought, then looked at Caelum directly at the eye. "I'll keep your hypothesis in my mind just in case, but to be honest, it still sounds far-fetched. And I think I'll read this little booklet as well. Anyway, it's getting very late. I'm going back home. Goodnight, Tenzin, Korra." said Lin as she walked out. Tenzin looked thoughtful while Korra seemed to be seeped in fear. Suddenly, she was hugged by Caelum. "Don't allow it to control you again, Korra." said Caelum. Korra looked at him. "You can do this. This isn't over yet, so you still have an opportunity to defeat him. It's okay if you're afraid, as long as you don't let it get into your head. I know that you can do this. Goodnight, Korra, Tenzin." he spoke. Then he walked out of the room, closing the door shut.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 end**


End file.
